How often do you go out for a meal?

geri1965_2

Probably about once a month on average - we go to a local Indian with another couple, or I go out for a pizza or pub meal with an old schoolfriend. I live a fairly frugal life due to my OH being unemployed, so we don't go to anywhere expensive!

Tiglath

A couple of times a year together - DH hates eating out in public. A few more times than that for me because the boss takes us out every few months as a thank you.

lostinrates

Primrose wrote: »

Very rarely, mainly because my OH has become such a good cook over the years that we can eat a better quality meal at home than most meals we would get in a restaurant at a fraction of the cost.

We both cook well too, and eating out at the places we like is not arguable as 'cheap' but the experience is more than just beautifully cooked food. Really good food though, and new ideas come home into our kitchen ( a particular risotto we had a couple of years ago has become an absolute favourite at home now). Bt having beautifully cooked food with good service, and well chosen wine, and the 'ritual' of dressing and going out, flirting across a table perhaps, or just chatting without the normal distractions of home (in our case letting the dogs in and out) and just relaxing. Almost always we take a walk through the area /town of where we are eating before sitting down, if not afterwards, looking through windows, holding hands, giggling and talking, pointing things out we think are nice, or hideous. Sometimes taking things out of even the happiest home can add a dimension, a vantage that breathes fresh air into the relationship (and perhaps repertoire for home cooking).

I am not suggesting for a minute it's vital, but just it can be welcome and beneficial.

PasturesNew

ibizafan wrote: »

I went to London last week and treated my 31 year old son to a birthday lunch at Le Gavroche. (Michel Roux's place) We had a great time, but it got me thinking about eating out. How often do you eat out and what are you prepared to spend? My OH and myself eat out about once every two weeks, but I love to get a bargain with either vouchers/ Taste Card or similar. I think, on average, we spend around £35-£50 for two as we like a bottle of wine. Anyone else? Obviously, the lunch in London was a rare treat! Also, I am retiring from my main job shortly, but hoping to carry on doing the same, more or less, so I'd love to hear whether retirement has curtailed eating out, or changed the frequency or type of restaurant that people go to.

I've never been to a posh place. Eating out, to me, would be the local/cheap indian or maybe a carvery (£6 tops) - and I'd do that about 2x a year. Total bill for me would usually cost £8 or less a time. Most expensive meal ever was £22 for two of us about 10 years ago in a Mexican.

I was looking earlier today at Toby carveries - £4.29 if you don't have the meat.... and that's now in my sights to maybe go in the next 2-3 months.

annie_d

We eat out tooo often, many times, it's embarrassing and ridiculous. My husband is a blogger so we go around the world, Michelin places. NO FREEBIES, thank you! Thats where our money goes. On food. Sad but true.x

Mayflower10cat

Interesting to read all the replies here. Doing a bit of mental arithmetic, I reckon we eat out about once every ten days, ish. That will include all meals;- light lunches as well as main meals. We try and support our village pub as we'd hate for it to close, likewise some local independents that need the trade and are well worth supporting. We cook a lot for fun, always from scratch, and are quite choosy about where we eat out - we also have friends who feel the same.

onlyroz

We have a pub meal every few weeks and a proper restaurant meal maybe once a month or so. We used to eat out more often but these days we've been doing more "proper" cooking at home. On saturdays we often splash out and get a nice cut of meat from the local farm shop, and do something a bit fancy. We don't get takeaways that often anymore because we can make the same or better ourselves for much cheaper.

System

Practically never, and we don't have takeaways either. Though i think we said we'd go for a meal for out anniversary in may.

CupOfChai

If it's just us or we're with friends, we specifically go out to eat about 4 times a year usually for a special occasion, and we probably would get a takeaway once or twice a year. However this is not including holidays or if we end up having to eat on the run whilst out (and we take packed lunches/teas where possible), and when I go to stay with family they get takeaways and eat out much more often than we do and so I am going with them then as well.

marisco_2

Once a month my friends and I go out for a meal. I also make the effort about once a month to have a dinner date with my two sons. I dont think you can introduce kids too early to dining out and trying all types of different food. The boys will eat almost anything now, are very social and have lovely table manners.